Leaderboard

GC in Kalamazoo has a really nice selection of Heritage guitars right now, including a Core 150. But there was a 2020 Dirty lemon burst Standard that was calling to me! GC had a great offer on Heritage stuff right now so I took it home! I had to do a complete setup on it. The action was sky high and there was way too much relief in the neck. But it setup PERFECTLY! Low action and the neck straightened out very well. Being PLEKED makes a huge difference!!!! HUGE!!!! Heritage had definitely stepped up to the plate with their quality. This 150 is stellar!!! As good as any Gibbons CS I have ever played!! I do think they need to get away from SD 59s though, I’m not really impressed with them.

Marv grew up at the north end of Huntsville, AL. When I went to Kalamazoo for PSP1 I took a small jar of red Alabama dirt and gave it to Marv. I had a friend. He told me he grew up across the road from the Chase depot. A few days after I got the guitar I took it up there and took the photo in front of the old depot. You can bet I sent him a large print. I sold the guitar because I was afraid to play it. When ever I took it out people would ask me to play it. I didn't trust most of them but what can you do. I managed to get rid of it before some fool could do something stupid. It was too nice of a guitar for me. The gig bag is what they shipped it to me in. I almost stroked out opening the box when it got to me. 2010 H-357 (w) Phat Cats. Slim neck carve. Dig it!

Remember, Brent will sell it back to the kid eventually.

Hi I play Sting's Englishman in Newyourk. This sound is no using any guitar amps, only home audio amp and home speakers. But I think this Heritage sound is not bad. If you have time, please listen it.

I had a PRS 408 that I played for several years. It was always easy and fun to play, a great guitar, but it was never "just right". I couldn't bond with it. Then I played my Heritage H150 for the last 3 years. I had modified it with a vintage wiring harness and had it set up properly and I really enjoyed it. I was much happier with the H then I ever was with the PRS, but I was still wanting more. I got my H150 CC about 3 weeks ago, and it truly has that "special sauce". I don't know what it is, but I know it when I hear it. I speculate that it is the overtones that I'm hearing, but whatever, it just rings like a bell. This will be my #1 for the remainder of my career. (I'm 75, so there isn't a whole lot of career left, lol.)

I’m new here and thought you might want to see something I just picked up from Pete Farmer in the custom shop. I have wanted an Eagle Classic forever and as a retirement gift to myself, I contacted Heritage and visited with Farmer who showed me some options. I landed on the last of the five 2019 NAMM Eagle Classics that was in mid-construction. He nicknamed them the Be-Bop. As it turns out, mine will be the only one of the five that has everything from the original specs including the tortoise shell tuning buttons (the other four have gold). It plays like a dream and I haven’t put her down since I picked her up in July. Several gigs later, it’s my go-to guitar from now on for everything. Thought you’d like to see some photos.

The difficulty i have with generalizations about production years is that most of the instruments every year were very good.

I took a little trek to Grand Rapids tonight to check out this beautiful H525. I got it from the original owner, who's son used to work at Heritage. It was #2ed for some minor finish flaws....actually, its pretty much in NOS condition.

There may be an ethical argument there about the Firebird, but Aaron Cowles told me that much of the design was by committee, headed up by McCarty. Aaron had to keep reconfiguring the instrument and the Flying V. There was a channel where the pickups could go, not discreet routing. He was told to slide a pickup in a direction. They'd play it for a while. They then would give it back to him and have him reposition the pickup. The point is that there wasn't a single person who designed the guitar. That was true with the Les Paul, the SG, and the semi-hollows. Look at the odd pickup position of the ES-175. That was by trial and error with approval by a small committee based on tone. Marv may have come up with the Firebird body, which is brilliant. Gibbons's argument on any innovation is that these guys worked for Gibbons and were paid, so the ideas belong to Gibbons. Ren Wall has stories of missed patents based on that principle, which held in court. If I had to bet, the Gibbons executives extant in the early days of Heritage were more protective of the Gibbons money makers. They did quarrel about the Les Paul, which was a big ticket item for Gibbons. Heritage didn't make a SG, which I'll bet would have been a fight. The Heritage archtops had different dimensions than the Gibbonss. Firebirds were not big sellers and maybe went under the radar when Marv made some or maybe they didn't care because Heritages were not close to the same price point. Who knows? The McCarty era was among the finest. The executives were generally players and the company was service oriented. It's not the cold, faceless corporation of today. Take a look at some correspondence between Gibbons and the father of my family doctor while growing up, Doug Haddock, Jr. This is not an isolated example. https://reverb.com/news/gallery-1950s-letters-with-Gibbons-concerning-one-doctors-electric-guitar-purchase Something happened around the time of the move to Nashville. That event was very disruptive to many families and likely the unspoken core values of Gibbons. It had become a commodity, an investment strategy, as opposed to a symbol of noble Americana. I don't think it landed in Tennessee intact.

I started out with a Harbor Freight $40 fixture. It's quite good considering the price. I used it on multiple projects with a 1/4" 14 degree bit. Pine (there's that four-letter word again) splinters and splits Real easy especially when freshly milled and dried. I'm sure you'll have much better success with hardwoods. Maple is an economical wood that machines well - especially if it's NOT curly (flamed). You do know that every dovetail bit has a few depths that work. The depth is based on how far apart the jig's fingers are. Should you find it necessary to buy a Leigh 24" jig, you can set the distance between fingers. The fixture, with a few add-on goodies are only about US$1,000... Most jigs come with a "ballpark" bit depth. if you let me know what fixture and bit you're using, I can calculate the proper depth. Bottom line, increase the bit length (exposed bit length beyond the router platen) to tighten and reduce the length to loosen. Just because I can. Here are some of my favorite corners and the cabs I built for a Fender Concert:

Marv made this and I received it at one of the PSPs. They called it a Millennium Pro. Also a double cut I still have.

Sorry so many posting. but I can't edit 1st post and video embedding. OMG😪 I play my funny valentine so if you have time, please listen to it

Brent, you've done a great job on that poor 150 so far. I bet a stinger would look great on it after all of the structural work and refinishing has been done.

...and these. Hope this'll take care of things until I can put the review together. And FYI, the color in these pics is dead on to the real thing, advertised as tobacco burst. In slightly less light, the red almost disappears into brown, a chameleon. Now that I have this sussed, I can take shots of specifics, if anyone has a request. But remember, a comprehensive review is forthcoming. I'll try to be as objective as I can, but I'm over the moon with this thing!

I've gigged in some bars I wouldn't bring one of these into. Some of them I wasn't sure I should bring myself into. JP Moats did the wood sourcing, as I recall. He had good connections that preceded the birth of Heritage. Each year I have more respect for the original Heritage owners. What they did took guts and stamina. The majority of the guitar world had no interest in their success. I'm sure a lot of corporate types either paid them little attention or just thought they'd fold. Heritage was often up to some twist. The D'Angelico and Gretsch ghost builds, the flattops, the basses, Little One, and the mandolins come to mind. They had a good run. Nothing better can be said in life. They should be proud for doing what few would dare try.

I just found this pic. Here is me with my pre-Marvbird. Marv may have well built this. I'm guessing it's a 1968-69 build that my neighbor got used. He gave up on the guitar and I got it. It had a high action and heavy flatwounds on it. I didn't know anything about that stuff, but my fingers hurt yet I kept going. The guitar was plugged into a Kalamazoo Model 2 amp. There are song books, records and a record player on the bed. Yes, I was jamming with the Beatles. My guitar teacher on day told me I could lower the action if I wanted. Some guy in his music store did that for me. It was a breakthrough.

OK, since the Parliamentarian spoke up...I'll admit it's fuzzy math. My oldest, most vintage Heritage is a '93 Golden Eagle...Old Style Burst. Even though 28 years old, she sounds a lot older.

Thank You to All. Yes I have played it briefly just to make sure everything is working the way it should. These guitars are what I would expect from the Custom Shop. Fit and finish is Great. All the MOP appointments are over the top. This one weighs in at just over 8.0 lbs. As far as the pickups I'm probably the last person to comment on that but Throbakish if that's a thing. I could go through all the specs but you can read those on the sight. I have received 2 and one was pre-sold. He loves it. I think he is up to 9 Heritage's. Their goal was to get back to the 50s vibe and I think they got there. Although the 50s vibe is a lot of folklore IMHO. I'm not much of a player but I think any of you would love this model and make it sound better than I can. There is a lot of vitriol on the "New Heritage" but I think they are doing it right and slowly getting a foothold and I look forward to the Custom Shop opening up soon. I've always been a believer of the brand.

Here’s a resized pic

This is on the way.

It's great to see H-555's being custom ordered. I can't wait to get my 2007 back to work again doing what its made for.

I was fortunate to find this 2021 Custom Core H150 used....I'm so glad i did. I have gone through this guitar inside and out...played it plugged and unplugged, and I'm going to give you my honest and complete review of this new model from the Heritage Custom Shop. PRESENTATION... I was impressed with Heritage's attempt to make this a "special" model. The case is VERY nice and heavy duty. The bound certificate is a nice touch as well. I also found the CS keychain a nice touch. A lot of these pleasantries, somewhat mirror the Gibson CS...like the sticker on the pick guard....but considering that this model is going head to head with the Gibson CS R9, I can see the reasoning. FIT AND FINISH... I have to say this was the most surprising part of this guitar, to me. The finish on the guitar is like a lightly aged/overly polish swirled....I would call it a close comparison to the VOS finish on CS Les Pauls. Its gloss...but not completely gloss. It caught me off guard...I was expecting a super glossy, super shiny finish. Nicely aged binding...looks like smoky bar binding. All of the routes, holes, attached pieces and parts all fit right and look great. Neck joint and neck pitch are perfect. The bone nut is cut perfectly! PARTS AND ELECTRONICS.... From what I'm seeing, it look like Heritage used all premium parts on these CC 150s. CTS pots, Orange drop caps, Switchcraft toggle and jack, Tonepros bridge, lightweight aluminum tailpiece and all vintage style braided wiring. I'm not sure what band the HERITAGE stamped tuners are...they seem to be ok, although, the D and G tuner nuts are striped out on my guitar (wont tighten down to the headstock) I'll have to email Heritage and see if they will send me a couple replacements. THE WOODS... Typical LP construction. One piece mahogany body and neck. Highly figured maple top. Rosewood fretboard with mother of pearl traps. The headstock has an inlaid veneer with the Heritage logo. I cant believe how light this guitar is!!!! Just under 8 1/2 lbs! Its lighter than my 2020 H150 Standard. NECK CARVE.... Heritage really nailed the necks on these! Its a rounded C shape which measures .895 at the first fret and .982 at the 12th fret with a moderate amount of shoulder. Not baseball bat-ish. I find it very comfortable...its very similar to the neck on my 2017 Heritage 535 custom. SETUP AND PLAYABILITY... This H150 is PLEKed...all new Heritages are now. So, I was expecting a low action with minimal neck relief. Well, I got it!!! I use 10-46 gauge strings. The Custom Core 150 sets up with a super low action which makes it play like butter all the way up the neck!! Almost effortless chording and wonderful sustain. TONE.... Heritage is putting their own 225 Parson Street Pickups in these Custom Core models. I'm not sure who winds these...I'm guessing someone in the Kalamazoo local? The 225 pickups remind me of a cross between a CS Duncan 59 and Seth Lover. The Bridge pickup tone is crisp and articulate. Great note definition. Not ice-picky. The neck pickups tone is very warm and creamy. Also very articulate. Very fat when pushed with some moderate OD. Overall, I feel the tone of this guitar is right up there with some of the best Les Pauls I have owned. I'm probably gonna try some different pickups in it, just because, thats what i do...lol. But out of the box....The Custom Core H150 sounds fantastic! PUTTING A BOW ON IT.... I can honestly say I'm very impressed with what Heritage has done with the Custom Core H150. Heritage has shown, with this model that they can play with the big boys. I'm not out to start a HERITAGE VS GIBSON DEBATE....NO!!! Its all personal preference. You want a CS Gibby, buy a Gibby. You want a Kalamazoo made CS LP...buy the Heritage....its that simple!!! I honestly think the Custom Core H150 and the Gibby Custom Shop R9 are of equaly quality and playability. (i know im gonna catch a lot of flack for that statement) The street price on the Custom Core H150 (non artisan aged) is $3799. Artisan Aged $4299. If you are looking for a top shelf Les Paul, made in Kalamazoo, Michigan....the Heritage Custom Core H150 is your guitar!!!

So, this is not my story, or at least I will claim it is not to protect those responsible. Quite a long time ago, there was a company whose business was making liquid oxygen. It's hard to make liquid oxygen without making liquid nitrogen too, and in those days there wasn't really much use for it, so the stuff used to be quite readily available to various young science graduates who worked in the company. In this company was an office which had a door which didn't fit very well: there was a gap of perhaps half an inch under the bottom of the door. Meetings were sometimes held in this office. The gap under the door was quite large enough that if one happened to have a bucket full of liquid nitrogen to hand, one could slosh the bucket under the door, spreading liquid nitrogen all over the floor of the office. The consequence of this was that the liquid nitrogen would suddenly have a very large free surface and would start evaporating furiously. The energy for that would come, at least in part from the air in the room which would drop in temperature by tens of degrees (proper degrees, not Fahrenheit) over a few seconds. All the moisture in the air would condense out and the room would fill with dense, freezing fog. Outside the office would be heard the sound of giggling science graduates, running away before anyone found their way out. I'm sure this has something to do with guitars.

I played my third show with my new band JENUINE, last night!! We have worked so had in the last 3 months since I joined!!! It was awesome to play my Heritages in Kalamazoo!!!

Just to keep things in the U.K. here's my H150 Ultra with HRW's

I can finally join the Heritage owners club as I got my H-575 just yesterday! Long time lurker, realized I've been a member here since 2012 that has been close to a Heritage multiple times (H-535s, H-530s, H-575s), good to finally be an owner! It was apparently a customer return from Music Store Live and I certainly cannot find a defect or anything that someone would return it for. So I feel like I got a nearly new H-575 at a decent price for today's going rates. The store probably had it for a while as the the serial number is AJ16810, which makes it a 2019 I think, right? It's a sunburst standard model with Seth Lovers. Nickel hardware. Wood is beautiful with a slight flame. I was looking at used ones popping up here/there but I love Seth Lovers (and nickel hardware) so that ended up the main deciding factor. My first impression upon opening it is WOW! It just feels well put together and substantial in a very good way. It's a tad heavier than I anticipated and while it has a nice, solid top, it's unplugged volume is not loud. But that's totally fine with me as I bought it to be an electric guitar only anyway. Plugged in it sounds just as I'd hoped. The Seth Lovers are fantastic as I knew they would be. It came with what I think were the stock GHS Boomer 11s. They were fine and I am very used to 11s that I use on my ES-335 but honestly, I feel like this guitar needs thicker strings to get it to resonate nicely. So I've already put on D'Addario NYXL 12s...that and I swapped the knobs...makes it mine I guess. It didn't take me long to know I'm putting my Eastman AR372 (also with Seth Lovers) up for sale. The H-575 can of course nail the straight ahead jazz tones I'm looking for but it also seems like it's going to be versatile enough to use in my jazz/funk band which will cross into some rock fusion...which I was hoping the H-575 could handle some of and I think it will. So I can see this and my ES-335 sharing duties in that band and certainly be my main straight ahead jazz guitar.

Picked up a used 2019 Heritage H-137 in TV yellow from a fellow forum member. It is spectacular! Almost bought a used Gibbons TV Yellow Special but pulled out when I saw this one listed and I'm glad I did. The color on this one is so much nicer. It has that more mellow wheat color than the US Gibbons which is more in your face yellow. Also shows a lot more grain. It' weighs in at 7.2 lbs on my bathroom scale and the stock Lollar P90s really scream. I also really like the no pickguard/dog ear look. I have to say, I know the headstock gets a lock of hate, but I like it. I have Gibbonss for Gibbons headstocks and this is it's own thing. Loving it so far and can't wait to get home from work tonight to play more!

A good friend of mine locally, who used to teach with my wife, had been on a gear buying binge lately. He has an absolutely stunning 1991 H150! He texted me the other day and said he was gonna sell his 2019 H137 (he bought it new from Sweetwater and hardly played it). So I drove over to his place yesterday and checked it out….he made me an incredible deal on it I could not walk away from. It came with the Heritage hard case and case candy. It’s mint. Not a mark on it. It sets up perfectly. The neck is a great beefy 50s carve. It’s really light. One piece body. Lollars!!! Another example of Heritages continuing improvements in quality!!!

OK, the following is simply the opinion (aka rantings from an old fart) of this writer. Others are welcome to agree, disagree or opine. I have no skin in the game and NOT currently shopping for guitars, Heritage or otherwise. Some guitars look great without a pickguard. Others need one in order to finish off the overall look and functionality. To me the latter instruments just seem naked at worst, and incomplete at best. The Heritage H-530 is an example of a guitar begging for a pickguard, but doesn't come with one. I'm sure Heritage will gladly make one IF a customer requests same, and pay the cost for it. But if an H-535 comes standard WITH a guard, why doesn't the similarly designed H-530?? I felt the same about the now discontinued H-525. Why was that model pickguardless?? Heritage P90 gitfiddles deserve respect and protection from sharp finger nails too! 🙂 Thoughts?

When Seth Lover "invented" the humbucker he also invented the height adjustable rings. P90 dogears needed the shims as the variations in neck angle and adjustable bridge height/playing action required them. Better to have shims you can remove or raise than a P90 decked to the body that prevents lowering the action due to strings hitting the plastic. I believe my custom Prospect P90 was their first and I needed to remove the shims to get the action to taste and clear the pickup.

I love my '07 H137 w/Pigtail bridge! I was just playing it today.

Yes, I am. This makes 3 Heritages in a month. This isn't any 575. This one is mine. I bought it in 2019 on Reverb from a music store about 50 miles from here. Then I met @pressure for lunch. I had to sell it in 2020 because I needed the cash. A few days ago, I saw it for sale online. And sometimes you have to strike when the iron is hot. I kept the guys contact info and called him. I just picked it up. I have no intentions of letting this one go again.

The 30th Anniversary was officially a H-555. A lot of bling on this one.

Sorry to have taken too long to get to this, but life intervened, as it will, and not always as we would have it. I’ve thought a lot about what to write, and how to write about the subject of this thread. And now I have to follow those complimentary and insightful posts on my initial Custom Core thread. Thanks for those! I’ll likely do two or three posts about the guitar, as I think there’ll be so much to say, not only because it’s an intriguing instrument but because it coalesces my relationship to Heritage guitars, and it arrives at the tail end of my checkered, minor league career as a player, as I'm actually culling the herd. I hope you’ll indulge me. You always have. UPS delivered the cardboard box without it looking like the loser in a beat down. Nice! And there weren’t 40,000 styrofoam peanuts or plastic bubble wrap to deal with. It was, of course, a Heritage box, and it seemed to cocoon the case perfectly, minimally. And what a case! Heritage are clearly riffing on the vintage G i b s o n (sexist, I know, but it is in the lexicon) California girls case. This one is a marbled brown tolex, but the brown is darker, mocha, with a little cream, not well stirred. The plush lining is beautiful, a textured peach skin or velvet nap, in a rich emerald green. The construction of the case is substantial, fourteen pounds, compared with the standard Heritage TKL case at ten. Interior padding is not identical to a TKL. Close, but the Custom Core case, rather than having just the elevated padding, like a pillow, at the back, under the guitar’s shoulder, has some sort of solid padded support there. There’s some extra lumber in there, clearly. And the hardware seems more substantial, as the latches are squared rather than the usual oblong shape. So just the case precluded any questions of, “So…I threw down large for this guitar…and it came in this?! It looks like the chip-board, faux alligator case I saw a ’58 Junior in once.” I remember taking delivery on my custom-build Super Eagle, in 2007. I was so overwhelmed and…intimidated…by what I might find, I left the unopened case on the coffee table in the living room for nearly five hours after unboxing it, while doing housework, sort of. I’d walk into the room every fifteen minutes or so and just stare at it. Not so, this time. Took a deep breath and unlatched the case. I’d seen good pictures on the Lark Guitars website. “Tobacco burst,” it said. Having researched the Custom Cores, I knew there was uniqueness (a very good thing, I think) in what was dark cherry burst here, and tobacco burst there, particularly on the Custom Cores. But Clint, at Lark (and he was just great to deal with!) said the website pics were pretty accurate. And they were, until you turned the guitar and the light caught it in a way other than that in which it was photographed. I opened the case to mid-afternoon indirect sunlight, and the figure was there, as was the nice tobacco brown, moving to a beautiful figured gold as it followed the top carve. What I didn’t expect were the undertones of a rich red beneath the brown at certain angles, particularly on the upper bouts. I’d noticed in many pictures since the “overhaul” at Parsons Street (likely in part attributable to the new spray booth) that the colors and the fading of bursts on many of the new guitars were really excellent, just beautiful! This Custom Core is no exception. The color is subtly complex and simply will not allow your eye to wander away from it! More than enough for now. My next post will take the guitar out of the case for the initial “in hand” impression.

I can resist anything other than temptation.... https://larkguitars.com/collections/electrics-heritage-guitar-inc/products/heritage-custom-shop-core-collection-h-150-artisan-aged-tobacco-sunburst

This one is not everyone's taste. I'd say it's not a lot of people's taste at all. Five or six years ago I picked up a quilted American Eagle. It's a long story. The gist of it is that someone in the music industry got it in 1992. Soon thereafter he died. His son, a folk player, ended up with it, didn't like archtops, and I got it. I eventually traded it for a very nice Heritage archtop that was made for the Heritage sales rep for New York. I'll show you those pics first.

My H-537 came with a cream plastic pick guard. I sent Arnie over at Embers Guitar Station the pick guard and he going to make me a maple one and finish it in translucent orange to match the guitar.

Hi everyone Recently I start using BlueChipPicks and I think they has very good chemistry. If you have time, please check it. https://youtu.be/2OnB8E81YB0

Having spent decades analyzing data from million dollar Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) devices, I understand that PLEK is a combination of the two. Certainly a cool idea but the ability of a machine to do its thing is heavily dependent on fixturing / how the guitar is held. Given the variation of neck size and profiles, I will not get any instrument I own within a country mile of one of these things. Heritage had a PLEK years ago that evolved into a coat rack; with their process of hand-rolling necks, I don't think they were happy with the results. I went with a friend to pick up his guitar from Ann Arbor guitars, They did a decent job but when pressed on minor details that weren't addressed, the tech admitted they could fix it but that was more money. Agreeably, the setup was relatively inexpensive. Still, I wonder why they'd offer a partial effort. IF I were to take an instrument there, I'd have to be assured Dave does the work and he knows I want his best. At that point, I'd put the results against Any PLEK job. As an aside, Ann Arbor Guitars have some Really Good videos on their website. The guy I use charges between $150 and $200 for a setup. When he's finished, the guitar becomes a fine instrument - nearly to the point that you imagine a sound and it magically happens! He's done it every time for me. I even ran a Traveler guitar through his shop. When I first got it, the Traveler wouldn't play the C note on the 5th string along with many additional problems. I got back a guitar that is fun and entertaining to play. I pay the luthier's price, bestow him with deserved respect and he does his magic for me. As always, the devil's in the details; buried in the minute faucets lays a better playing guitar. I'm convinced that no computer programmer can wash away every potential problem. I'll take a competent human every time...

To me, artificially relic'd instruments are simply a marketing scheme, aimed at a small piece of the guitar buying market. I've never understood the attraction, but I've also never been involved in sales or marketing. I suppose the rationale is if guitar builders can increase gross sales another 10% - 20% then why not beat up and 'age' a brand new guitar at the factory. In other words, give the people what the people want. As Skydog52 stated, if you want an 'artisan aged' Heritage, get one now. The current pricing can't be sustainable, and an eventual increase seems inevitable. Personally, I'll stick to new guitars that look, feel, smell and play like new guitars. As they are played, dinged, scratched and enjoyed over the years is when the real relic process begins.

Phony relic jobs just don't look right on a Heritage guitar. That's just my opinion YMMV.

My favorite part of this work of Art. Maudie Moore's signature worked into the palette. https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/maudie-moore

Some will be familiar with the background. Gretsch moved its factory to Japan around 1990. The Gretsch reputation had been deteriorating over the previous decade. By most reports the quality of Gretsch builds went up and stayed up at the Terada plant. There were some custom builds by Steve Stern and Gene Haugh made in America but at a high price. In the early 1990s Fred Gretsch III wanted to continue the Gretsch Synchromatic archtops with a very high quality level. He made an agreement with Heritage to build a limited number, 10 I'm told. This was around the time Heritage was also ghost building D'Angelicos. Heritage made the Synchromatic with an 18" body, basically the same as the Super Eagle but with a 3 piece (not 5 piece) neck and Gretsch appointments. The bracing and carving were the same as the "acoustic" Super Eagles. They even had the famous Floating #3 pickup. At least one HOC member has a blonde one. I know of a burst in Chicago. There were 6 in this auction that ended today. That leaves 2 unaccounted for. Another HOC member picked up a nice one at the auction that was signed by the Heritage owners and Fred Gretsch. That looks like the first one Heritage built. It's a natural. I got three of them, two naturals and a burst. The four owners signed the labels in all of them. One of the three I got appears to have been stored in the case. Two probably were left in the boxes. The guitars auctioned were from Fred Gretsch's collection, meaning likely a warehouse. It doesn't look like they were ever sold. The guitars appear to need a bath and maybe a buffing. The electronics they say all work. There are no dings or scratches. The gold has a patina on it. The finishes are dull. So these are Heritages with a different headstock. I have a few acoustic Heritages already (a GE and two Johnny Smiths) and know what to expect. I can compare them to the Gib-son L-5 Acoustic with a floating pickup from 2000 and the Le Grand with a floater from about the same time. The Heritages equal or exceed the build quality. Here are some pics. Perhaps the other purchaser will post his pics too.

One that got away. : (

Wish I'd known, Dixie! Got rid of a Gibsom Custom Shop Robbie Krieger about two months ago. I replaced Krieger's neck mini-bucker with a Lollar staple, a la '54. Eight pounds, four onces. Used it a lot live in The Sedans' waning days, and on the last studio disc. As good a guitar as I've owned! Letting that one go definitively announced that the downsizing was on.... Here it is, on the right channel, solo's all neck p'up:

Sometimes you get lucky and come across a special bit of gear. I remember vividly the first time I laid eyes on this guitar, I just started to laugh. Then I played it and it is just so exquisitely unique, humbuckers where the p90s usually are, but it's just right and I never once thought about changing them out for some Lollars (well maybe I did, but, nah). I haven't been playing as much lately, tempus fugit, and I am glad to free her from her California visit. Back to Kalamazoo, or Mecca as I think of it. This guitar gets around! Thanks for the beautiful photos MG! Most of all thanks for sharing this work of art with me for a while. I'll just have to play my Sweet 16 more.

Hi all, I have been a member since June and finally getting around to introducing myself. I have been a guitar player for 40+ years. And mainly Strats. I have done my best to love humbuckers without success until this last spring. I took a road trip to Kalamazoo to look at 535's. Ended up buying a 150! It's a beauty. One piece top and perfect neck for me. So I end up playing a whole bunch of guitars and Mike and Pete bring this one out. I am playing it and in walk Marv and Bill. We end up meeting and talking with them for a while. Getting a picture with them and the guitar. What great guys! I am talking with Mike and Pete about ordering a 535 in the future and my wife goes well, I don't think you should leave without that 150 after the picture and mojo it now has! So how could I not? Anyway, it is a fantastic instrument. And what a great experience at Parson Street. Ended up with a private factory tour, meeting Marv, Bill, Ren, Jim, Pete, Mike...I feel very lucky and blessed for that day. And the 150 has knocked my strats off the front line, it's all I play and gig with. I have never been one to name my guitars but this one is Mabil. After that day. Rock on! Nick D.

Hello, Mike here. Posting as MikesGtr. Long time (multiple decades) Telecaster/Stratocaster player. Never owned a Gibson or Gibson style guitar, but always wanted an es335. Never found one I bonded with and now I know why. I was actually waiting for a Heritage H535 to find me and the guitar helped me find this site. Anyway I play in a 80/90's cover band in Massachusetts and having way too much fun playing guitar these days. From what I have read so far, it seems like there are some passionate Heritage owners and I am looking forward to reading the content on this forum and hopefully adding to the discussions when I can. Cheers. Below is my new baby.